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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22758580">Stories of the Second Self: Den of Wolves</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/John_Steiner/pseuds/John_Steiner'>John_Steiner</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Alter Idem [168]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Howling (1981), Urban Fantasy - Fandom, candestine operations, social justice - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 11:29:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,540</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22758580</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/John_Steiner/pseuds/John_Steiner</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mingan and Harris Blakesley, the leaders of the Akron Community Coalition, organize a social event with other werewolf packs as well as various influencers and power brokers, human and pentacaste from around Ohio. However, one guest arriving is uninvited, yet had a message to deliver that reveals to the werewolf couple that powers outside the state have taken keen interest into their affairs.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Alter Idem [168]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1618813</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Stories of the Second Self: Den of Wolves</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"The first of the guests are arriving," Harris said to Mingan.</p><p>Thick dirty dishwater blonde hair splashed across Mingan Blakesley's shoulders, as she turned her attention to the road. Amid the pouring rain, a handful of cars looked expensive enough that Mingan didn't have to speculate which of their guests drove them. It was Harris' idea to host these retreats, but Mingan had to approve. That's how things worked in a werewolf marriage.</p><p>"I don't recognize that last car," Harris pointed out, "It doesn't have plates."</p><p>"I don't either, but from the way they drive they're not coming for relaxation," Mingan stated, and lean onto the dark-stained wooden railing to study the car with heavily tinted windows.</p><p>The guest list wasn't just policymakers from Akron and other Ohio cities, but also people in business, activism, and the new wave of social influencers. The upper crust of Ohio cities, and Mingan detested having to entertain them as though she were one.<br/>Harris also didn't like it, but if the Akron Community Coalition's goals were to succeed these were the game rules. Yet, this last visitor was the wild card, Mingan suspected, all from how they drove and their choice of cars.</p><p>The time came to be the stereotypical den mother hostess that these non-werewolf guests expected. Mingan and Harris' entire pack was here, as were more werewolves from around Ohio. However, per Akron Community Coalition's mission, other guests were angels, humans, Fae, giants- albeit outside under the large tents, and however few vampires they could coax into coming. Delane Henry was sent an invitation, but he had prior arrangements and sent via courier a politely worded letter to that statement, with a wax seal for full effect.</p><p>Yet, it was a vampire who exited the last car. That, Mingan knew from the polarized face shield and dense weave suit that made him look like an arctic explorer. The tinted windows made that much more sense.</p><p>He uncovered himself after he stepped under the porch. There was something else about the somewhat short man. With light brown hair cut for practicality not style, and somewhat boyish roundness of face, his general look would've been unassuming and easily passed over but for now being undead.</p><p>"Excuse me," Mingan said to the man as he approached her, "Have we met?"</p><p>Mingan knew the answer, but she had to perform for the other guests.</p><p>"Zach," he plainly answered, "And I won't be long."</p><p>"How can we help you, Zach?" Harris asked, coming up to Mingan's side.</p><p>"Do you two have an office or some other room not being used?" Zach asked of them, but visibly addressed Mingan more directly.</p><p>"It's upstairs," Mingan waved and then stepped aside, "Come in?"</p><p>Mingan, Harris, and this unusual Zach headed toward the staircase. There was a moment of discomfort when Zach realized he was meant to start up after Mingan before Harris. Mingan knew that Harris also found something amiss about Zach, and that Harris was bringing up the rear as a safety gesture.</p><p>Looking around on the top floor, Zach then seized on a door to the most remote corner. "That looks good there."</p><p>As Mingan opened the door, her nose was hit with the must that was too faint for most people to notice. The pack would annually clean the cabin top to bottom, but this room always clung to its spirit of being unused despite the effort.</p><p>"Would you prefer the lights left off?" Mingan asked over her shoulder.</p><p>"No, it's fine if you want them on," Zach replied with a wave.</p><p>Harris went about uncovering three chairs and pushing them together before they were all seated. Mingan gave Zach's solid black eyes steady and deliberate focus.</p><p>"Okay, so you're wondering who I am and what I'm doing here," Zach surmised casually, "And that's fine. I'll answer what I can. Putting it plainly, we know that your organization has a growing presence in Cincinnati."</p><p>"Who's 'we'?" Harris wanted to know, also staring intently at Zach.</p><p>"That I can't get into, and I apologize," Zach stated, "However hard it may be for you to believe, we sympathize with what you're about. You made great strides stabilizing Akron the way that you did without the segregation of pentacastes becoming a social problem. That you're trying to undo the urban schism in Cincinnati is fine, but we have to take issue with one particular district."</p><p>"Silverton." Mingan saw from where this was going that she could confidently pluck the name off Zach's under-expressive vampire features.</p><p>"Yeah," Zach looked down, seemingly aware that even vampires could be read by werewolves, "That's what I'm talking about."</p><p>"We're not muscling in on Delane Henry's turf," Mingan explained, shaking her head, "In fact we invited him here."</p><p>"The ACC has worked out things with him before," Harris added, leaning forward with his hands clasp together.</p><p>"I know about that," Zach said, still having trouble looking either of them in the eye, "Here's the thing. If we had a stable federal situation we would've gotten into this ourselves, but we can't. I can ask that you not lean on Silverton so hard with your anti-hate crimes campaign."</p><p>"The answer is no." Mingan became instantly pointed in her demeanor, and her stare hardened in a way that most non-werewolves tended to find unsettling.</p><p>"Look Zach," Harris, equally firmed up, "We know that's where the bulk of anti-werewolf hate crimes originate in Cincinnati. Delane Henry knows this too. We're working on an arrangement with him."</p><p>"Well, our arrangement with Mr. Henry precedes yours," Zach bluntly stated, and at last returned eye contact, his face dropping into a coldness even Mingan found disturbing.</p><p>"Which would be?" Mingan wasn't about to be intimidated, even by a vampire.</p><p>"Alright, I'm allowed to disclose this much," Zach dropped the psycho persona, which appeared practiced but easily so, and laid out his case. "During the occupation there was a lot of tough fighting in Cincinnati. Silverton was nearly as hard to pacify as Norwood. The U.S. Army and Ohio Guard units weren't in a strong enough position to do it without local support."</p><p>"You son of a bitch," Harris voiced a tone that preceded his accusation, "You make a deal with the Bokors and Caplatas. What? Federal intelligence agencies decided to adopt Voodoo tradition?"</p><p>"The deal was specific to Mr. Henry," Zach narrowed down the scope of accusation. "Papa Henry, as his people are expected to call him. And he didn't leave the Guard much choice when they moved into Silverton. Also, we did ask for his help on another issue, which I am not allowed to name or add details on, so don't ask."</p><p>"Whatever impression you have of the Akron Community Coalition...," Mingan started to say.</p><p>Zach cut her off right there, but with an expression that revealed he knew he was violating serious decorum in pack culture. "I understand that you need to be seen as strictly a social activist group, but your... uh, other accolades are also known to us. No one gets that many cops and military veterans in their membership without a contingency plan that requires them."</p><p>"If the democratic and legal systems worked out like it should they wouldn't be needed," Mingan replied, feeling it fair to lay her cards on the table in kind.</p><p>"Plan B," Zach nodded, inadvertently revealing his sharp hooked teeth in over-enunciating, "Yes, I get it. But you guys are fuckin' around in a bigger game."</p><p>"I was in that game, so I know the ground rules," Harris answered.</p><p>"As a federal law enforcement officer," Zach said to Harris. "Sort of. But that world's over. Which is probably why you hung up the badge and started your little coalition."</p><p>"Which isn't so little anymore," Mingan tossed back for effect. "Is it?"</p><p>"No, it most definitely isn't," Zach admitted, and raised a finger, "But that's with city councils not knowing everything about you that we know. Look, we're not here to stop you from whatever reforms you think are needed. I was sent to make sure you don't compromise Silverton's current stability. That's all."</p><p>"You mean Delane Henry's stability," Mingan clarified.</p><p>"The two are inseparable," Zach amended, "Which, given the caste Mr. Henry and I share, that's for the foreseeable future."</p><p>"Noted," Mingan resumed her firm directness.</p><p>"It's safe to say we have an understanding?" Zach asked, going back to his downcast focus to the side.</p><p>Harris searched Mingan's face before answering, "We do."</p><p>With that Zach stood and offered a hand that was physically colder than emotionally. Yet, Mingan accepted it, and then so too did Harris.</p><p>"I appreciate your cooperation and straightforwardness," Zach said as he turned for the door.</p><p>"Same to you, Mr. Zach," Harris replied, taking a subtle shot at the agent's habit of naming his 'asset.'</p><p>Mingan and Harris escorted Zach to the front door and saw him out. They didn't wait for the vampire to get into his car, because they didn't have to. Mingan and, she was sure, Harris also both knew that Zach wasn't here to cause trouble, and in fact he tread on dangerous ground walking into the wolf's den the way he did with what he had to deliver.</p>
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